I'm Not Sick!
by LaurenNicole97
Summary: From "Moments of Carlos Garcia". Carlos gets sick, and his best friends are around to try and make him better. No slash. Jarlos-y brother-like moments eventually.
1. Chapter 1

I'm Not Sick!

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: So, what did you guys think of "I Love You Mommy!"? I hope you guys liked it! If you didn't, I sowwy…:D Anyways, this is the next most popular topic, so here we go! Enjoy!:D

X~X~X~X

"Aaa-chooo!" A sneeze echoed through the hockey rink. Carlos wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"Bless you!" James shouted from across the ice.

"Thanks!" Carlos shouted back, as he sniffed.

"Come on guys, get back in the game!" Kendall told the boys in a friendly but firm voice. He didn't mess around when it came to hockey, even if it was just the four of them practicing.

"Sorry!" James and Carlos apologized simultaneously. The group skated around and took shots. Carlos scored a goal against Logan. He went for a victory skate around the net.

"Ah-aaachooo!" An even louder sneeze rang through the room. Carlos was caught off guard by its power, and he fell back onto his bum. He blinked and shook his head. His face looked like a dear caught in someone's headlights.

Logan skated over to his friend who didn't get off the ground. He held out his hand to help him up.

"You ok, Carlos?" He asked, growing concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine, just allergies or something." Carlos answered, shrugging. "Aaachooo!"

"Carlos, are you sure?" Logan questioned skeptically. He felt Carlos' forehead with the back of his hand. It was warm, despite the frozen air surrounding them.

"Yeah-ah-ahchoo!" Carlos sneezed again. All this sneezing had him feeling a little light headed. He stumbled forward on his skates. "I'm just gonna take the bench for a minute. You guys just keep playing, I'll be fine." He saw his friends' unconvinced looks. He smiled. "Really, I'm fine!" Kendall, James, and Logan looked at each other, and then back at Carlos, but he was already skating to the edge of the rink. They shrugged and skated off, assuming that everything would be fine.

Carlos walked on his skates over to the bench and sat down. He undid his laces and kicked his skates onto the floor. Carlos pulled his legs up onto the bench and lay down, curled up in a ball. His eyelids grew heavy, and slowly, he drifted off into a deep sleep.

X~X~X~X

The guys finished up their practice about half an hour later, and were heading off the ice. They were chatting about a great play that Logan had made, when they came across the still sleeping Carlos. Kendall's phone vibrated in his gym bag and he dug it out. He had a text from his mom saying that she was in the parking lot, waiting for them. They didn't want to wake Carlos up, but they weren't sure what to do. Suddenly, James had an idea.

"Logan, can you carry my stuff for me?" James asked as they changed back into their sneakers.

"Uh, sure." Logan replied, confused. He took James' black bag, and understood what was going on. James carefully scooped Carlos up into his arms. He was holding the sleeping boy bride-and-groom style. Carlos was pretty small for a 16 year old, so it wasn't hard for James to carry him. Carlos shifted in James' arms, and rested his always helmeted head in the crook of his neck. With their gym bags, and Carlos, in hand, the teenagers left the rink.

"They crossed the parking lot to Mrs. Knight's green van. She saw James cradling Carlos and shot the boys a confused look as they opened the van doors.

_Sick. _Kendall mouthed as he sat in the front passenger's seat. Mrs. Knight simply nodded as she started the car.

Logan settled into the seat behind Mrs. Knights. James sat in the back row of three seats. He laid Carlos next to him, and placed his head on his lap. Carlos occasionally stirred in his sleep, but was otherwise silent and motionless as he slept soundly.

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: Ahahah! I decided to turn this one-shot, into a story of it's own! What do you think? I hope you guys enjoyed it! :) So I have an important mission for you all! Please go check out my dear friend Ruby Grand's stories! PLEASE? Thank you! OMG I have amazing news! Monday night, I was Tweeted, by the REAL Kendall Schmidt of Big Time Rush! Like legit! I almost died from drowning in a pool of happiness! I couldn't believe it! I tweeted to him, James, Logan, and Carlos 'just heard "Boyfriend on the radio! It sounded great!:)' and Kendall tweeted back 'Thank you! That's very nice to hear :)' WITH a SMILEY FACE!:D I seriously almost started crying! I was sooo happy! Well, actually I still am, but that's not the point. HE TWEETED ME! …Sorry for spazzing out there… So if any of you have a Twitter, follow me! I'm Glamtastic97 :) Thanks doll:)

~LaurenNicole


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: This update is for my dear friend vikwhis13! We had a bet over a baseball game, and the first night, I won=] so I got to request a one-shot written by her (Palmwoods Picture Day) and she one the next night, and she got to request an update for one of my stories, so she requested an update of "I'm Not Sick"! Yaaay! I haven't updated in a while! I apologize for that, but I've been so busy! Like seriously, the other day, I woke up at 7:30 in the morning to go to my friend's Bat Mitzvah. That ended at about 4, and then I had to go home, eat, get redressed, redo my hair and makeup, and go to my 8th grade formal at 7:30, which lasted until 10:30, then the next day, I walked a mile for an Autism fundraiser. I walked with my mommy, my cousin, my aunt, and my adorable autistic little brother. I love him to pieces! It was so cute: a group of people who were doing the 5k race ran by us, he looked at us, said "I wanna run too!" and went off behind them! We couldn't stop laughing!=] I was so proud of him! Now to the update!

X~X~X~X

Mrs. Knight pulled up to the entrance of the Palmwoods, so James wouldn't have to walk very far with Carlos. He slept soundly through the entire 25 minute car ride. James didn't dare try to remove Carlos' precious helmet. He figured Carlos needed to be as comfortable as possible, and what was more comfortable than a hunk of black plastic? Well when it came to Carlos Garcia, nothing was.

Logan hopped out of the van and opened the door so James could get out. He picked Carlos up, and somehow managed to squeeze out without waking him. James couldn't help but laugh at him, and how little he looked in his arms. Kendall smiled at them with his bright, youthful green eyes. He knew that it was going to be a long couple of days taking care of Carlos.

The gang walked into the lobby. Mrs. Knight went out to the store to stock up to play doctor for Carlos. Of course, the boys earned odd looks from almost everybody in the room. They were approached by Camille and Jo.

"Uhhh, what's goin' on?" Camille asked casually. She wasn't really surprised at what she saw. Camille was used to the, interesting, things she saw from the four of them.

"Carlos is a little under the weather. We're taking him up to the apartment to try to get him some rest." Kendall answered. He wrapped his arms around Jo and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Awww. Well is there anything we can do to help?" Jo asked sweetly, holding onto Kendall's arm.

"Could you make some soup for Carlos when he wakes up? I think Mrs. Knight is gonna have her hands full." Logan asked. He was in doctor-mode, knowing exactly what to do.

"Of course!" Camille replied. She turned to Jo. "Will that be good?"

"Yeah! I'll text you later and you can stop by my place." Jo answered. She was ready to help however she could. It sounded weird, but Carlos was like her little brother. He was to everyone in their little group. He was the smallest and the youngest, so it just seemed fitting that he take on the little brother role.

"Thanks guys." James thanked appreciatively. He was glad to see his friends so eager to help out. "See you later." He told the girls. Carlos was starting to feel a little bit heavier, and the last thing James wanted to do was drop him.

The guys headed over to the elevator and Logan pressed the button for James. They let him walk in first. James leaned up against the wall to try to take some of the weight off of his back and knees. It helped a little, but even with his well-exercised arms, he was struggling to support Carlos. Finally, to James' relief, the elevator came to a stop on the second floor. They guys piled out and James trudged down the hall, reaching apartment 2J after what seemed like a 17 mile long walk.

Kendall opened the door and helped James in. He gently laid Carlos on the couch and stretched out his back. Carlos just curled up tighter and popped his thumb in his mouth. He had a habit of doing that when he was ill. Kendall, James, and Logan sighed simultaneously. This was going to be a _very_ long couple of days.

James took a deep breath and picked Carlos back up. After a short break, he had more strength, well just enough to make it up the stairs to his and Carlos' room. He slowly set him down on his bed, and pulled the blue and green sheets over him. James still didn't take off Carlos' helmet, so when he did eventually wake up, he wouldn't have a freak-out attack. He turned the light out, closed the door, and walked into the living room, ready to think up a plan of how to take care of Carlos.

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: TADA! What did you think? Again, this chapter was for vikwhis13, one of the most amazing people in the history of forever! And she won the second night of the bet, so here we are! Don't worry, it's not over yet! There will definitely be more chapters to this adorable little story! Ohhh yeah, if any of you guys were like "Since when does Carlos suck his thumb?", I would just like to let you know that in this story, and in any of my others (Living the Dream) where any of the characters do something a little, immature sounding (sucking their thumb, sleeping with a night light/stuffie[stuffed animal]) it's to accent their childlike innocence, or give them a childlike quality, which I happen to find EXTREMELY adorable!=] I don't know why, but when I read a FanFic where any of the BTR boys act childish, I just simply adore it! So I just wanted to point that out, 'cause I didn't want to confuse people, which I probably wouldn't have, but ya know, it's better to be safe than sorry, right? RIGHT!=] Exactly! Wow, something tells me I may have overdone the author's notes for this chapter, so I'll be going! I'll try to update soon on all my other stuff=] Until next time!

~LaurenNicole


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: Update time! =D Yay! Well, before I get to the story, I have to go a little fan-girl crazy: OMG! I have never realized this before, but James looks so amazing in olive green! Like seriously, I was watching Big Time Mansion and James is wearing an olive green shirt that goes fabulously with his hair, and his skin tone, and his eyes! I LOVE IT! And when Logie Faints? CUTE! But sad that he fainted, but still cute!=) And did anyone else notice that at the end, Kendall's wearing footy-pajamas? And Carlos is wearing a night cap under his helmet? It's yellow! =D Oooh! Adorableness all around! =D Yaaay! …Ok, I'm good! =D Hahah so me and my buddy Ruby Grand (that's right, we know each other! Like in real life. We sit next to each other at lunch!) We play ninja a lot! One time, we played and we were all like "WAAAAAH!" and stuff! It was fun, but then my other friend accidentally five-starred me and I was like "I'M DONE!" …Happy now, Miss Grand? I finally wrote about ninja! =D Now, on to the story!

Kendall started pacing back and forth.

"What are we gonna do?" He exclaimed, slightly flustered. Kendall Knight was _never_ flustered, but when someone was sick, had no idea what to do. Logan, on the other hand, was calm, cool, and collected.

"Don't worry guys, I know exactly what to do." Logan smirked. He wasn't used to being the leader. But he kinda liked it. "James, I need you to get some blankets from the closet. Kendall, I need some of Carlos' favorite DVDs and the portable DVD player. We need to keep him occupied, but he needs to stay in bed." James raised his eyebrows.

"Carlos, stay in bed? I'm sure that'll happen." He said sarcastically. He knew as well as anybody that Carlos was a busy body, and he was always up and about. They would have to duct tape him to the bed just to keep him from getting up.

"Don't worry guys, Carlos will probably be sleeping for a while." Kendall suggested. He really hoped so. The door to the apartment swung open and Mrs. Knight and Katie trudged in, barely able to see over the top of the big brown paper bags they were carrying.

"Uhhh a little help here?" Katie yelled from behind her bag. She was teetering back and forth when Kendall saved her and grabbed the bag from her arms. He grabbed his mom's and set them down on the counter. Logan and James started rummaging through them. Logan pulled out a bottle of cherry cough syrup, an electronic thermometer, a carton of orange juice, a bag of jelly beans, a deck of cards, a king-sized Hershey's bar, and a get-well-soon card. Katie reached over and grabbed the chocolate bar.

"Oh, that's mine." She said, unwrapping the candy. She walked away in the direction of her room. Mrs. Knight and Kendall rolled their eyes.

Mrs. Knight turned to the boys. "How's Carlos?" She asked, concerned.

"Sleeping." James answered simply. "I put him up in his bed about 15 minutes ago, and haven't heard from him."

"Well, I'm going to go check on him. I need to take his temperature." Mrs. Knight said, grabbing the thermometer.

"I'll come too." Logan told her. The two walked up the stairs into Carlos and James' room. Kendall and James started cleaning up the kitchen. They put the orange juice in the fridge, the couch syrup on the counter, the jelly beans in the cabinet, and the playing cards and the get-well-soon card on the counter.

James nodded to the cough syrup. "Carlos isn't gonna be very happy when he wakes up to a spoonful of that."

"Well he was only sneezing. Maybe he won't need it?" Kendall prayed. He knew how much Carlos hated cough syrup, and any kind of medicine for that matter. And overall, Carlos _despised _being sick. There were only 2 things that Carlos hated more: losing his precious helmet and people arguing.

"I hope you're right." James sighed.

"AAA-CHOOO!" A sneeze rang down from the upstairs bedroom.

"I guess Carlos woke up." Kendall said running his hands through his blonde hair. "We'd better go up and see how he's doing." James nodded in agreement. He hurried over and pulled a stack of blankets out of the hall closet.

"Let's go."

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: Wow that was a lot shorter than I hoped it would have been! Darn! Oh well, there's always next chapter! Sorry! Oh, and sorry for the super long author's note in the beginning! I had a lot to say! =) Anyways, I'll keep this one shorter! Review please! Thank you! =) Until next time,

~LaurenNicole


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: Hey! Again, sorry for the super short chapter last time. I'll try to make this one longer!=) So, it's been a while since I've updated this, hasn't it? I'm sorry…So I guess I should get to it=) Here we go!

"102.3, Carlos you have a fever." Mrs. Knight told Carlos. Kendall and James walked in the room in time to hear her read the temperature on the digital thermometer.

"I'm ok though." Carlos mumbled into his pillow. "I feel fine." He suddenly let out a violent cough that racked his entire body. Kendall and James looked at each other with wide eyes; Carlos was gonna need to take the cough medicine.

"Carlos. You're not fine. You have the flu." Logan told the younger boy. Carlos groaned loudly and let out another cough.

"But Logie," Carlos whined. "I don't _wanna _be sick." He sounded like a little kid.

"Carlos, dude, nobody wants to be sick. Just let us take care of you and then you'll be better." Kendall said, attempting to take back the leadership role. Logan and James nodded in agreement. Carlos wrapped his blankets tighter around himself.

"I'm not sick." He grumbled to himself.

"Just take it easy ok? Stay in bed, and if you need anything, yell for us, alright?" Logan instructed. Carlos muttered something inaudible in response. Logan turned to Kendall, James, and Mrs. Knight. "Let's go, Carlos needs to rest a bit more." The group exited the bedroom. Kendall and James took spots on the couch in front of the TV and Mrs. Knight went to go do some laundry. Logan put some bread inside the toaster and poured a glass of water.

"Logan, what are you doing?" James called into the kitchen.

"Carlos needs to eat something." Logan replied simply. The toast popped up and he grabbed it, put it on a plate, and carried it and the glass of water up to Carlos.

Logan flipped on the light on. Carlos turned over, entangling himself in a mess of blankets.

"Ut ah oo oin'?" Carlos muttered into his pillow.

Logan set the plate and glass down on the nightstand. "You need to eat something before you go to sleep." Carlos propped himself up with his elbow and rubbed his eyes.

"But I'm not hungry. My tummy hurts." Carlos croaked. Along with coughing a lot, he had a stomachache, a headache, a sore throat, and just felt achy all over. If this is how he was going to feel for the next few days, Carlos didn't know what he was going to do.

"Well a little food in your system should help make you feel better." Logan informed him. He sat on the edge of Carlos' bed. Carlos groaned in response, and Logan took this as an "Ok". He handed him the piece of toast, which Carlos took reluctantly. He held it for a minute and Logan spoke up.

"Carlos, it's not going to do anything for you if all you do is stare at it." Logan told him patiently. Carlos sighed and nibbled on the corner of the toast. He looked up at Logan with big eyes. Logan looked back at him and raised his eyebrows. Carlos sighed again and took another bite. He finished off half the toast when he suddenly gripped his stomach. Logan quickly reached over and grabbed the waste basket and put it on Carlos' lap. Carlos buried his face in the basket and heaved. It was surprising that he had anything to throw up, considering he'd only eaten half a piece of toast all day. Logan rubbed his back soothingly until he finished.

When he was done, Carlos took a sip of water and spit it into the waste basket, trying to get the repulsive taste out of his mouth. Logan took a tissue and wiped the beads of sweat off of Carlos' forehead the best he could without disturbing his helmet, which was still strapped on his head.

Carlos set the basket on the floor, flopped back onto his pillow, and groaned. His stomach still hurt and now his mouth tasted disgusting. Logan picked up the waste basket.

"Try to get some rest. I'm gonna go wash this out and I'll bring it back." He stood up and walked out of the room. Logan went into the bathroom and dumped the basket into the toilet and rinsed it out in the tub. Once it was clean, he grabbed it and walked into the living room, where Kendall and James were watching TV.

"James, are you ok with sleeping on the couch tonight?" Logan asked. "Carlos is _really_ sick and I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to stay in there."

"Sure. Is he ok?" James questioned, turning to face Logan.

"Not really. He just threw up a minute ago. His temperature probably isn't any better." Logan sighed.

"Ok. Well if we can do anything, just let us know." Kendall said. James nodded in agreement.

"Just try to keep quiet; Carlos needs to get some rest."

"Ok." Kendall and James replied simultaneously. They were willing to do _anything_ to help make Carlos feel better.

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: Hey everyone. Sorry again about not updating in forever…I honestly have no excuse…And sorry for this chapter being really short too…Ugh. So, I've been working on a new one-shot, and I'm about half way done with it. I wanna finish it, but I don't know if I really wanna publish it. I'm not sure how I feel about it anymore. Do you guys have any opinions you wanna share about it? If you do, please let me know in the reviews. It'd be really helpful=) OMG! Guess who's going to a BTR concert! ME! It's going to be absolutely amazing! It'll be my first ever concert and I'm really excited! OMBTR! Oooh, along with the possibility of me publishing a new one-shot, I'll be starting a new multi-chapter that I thought up today. It's #6 on my list of "100 Things to do Before the End of Summer 2011" ~ 'Publish and complete a new multi-chapter on FanFiction'. So that'll be up sometime. I have a bunch more to say, but I don't want another ridiculously long author's note. OOOH! One more thing! The first person to tell me how to insert that grey page break in a story gets, uh, they get a chapter of a story dedicated to them? Yeah, lame prize, but seriously, can someone tell me? I'm clueless. So yeah… Until next time!

~LaurenNicole


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: Hey there! Let's see, I haven't updated this story since July 3rd. I'M SO SORRY! Also, sorry that this is basically a filler. Ugh. That's why I haven't posted it, because I really really don't like it. But I hope you do! Oh, I've always wanted to do this in my A/N but never worked up the guts to. So here I go!

Me: Welcome to chapter five!

Carlos: *coughs violently* Are you gonna make me better now?

Me: Nope! This is just a filler, so you're still really sick. Sorry lovie.

Carlos: Hockey pucks! *coughs again* I don't feel so- *runs in direction of bathroom*

Me: LOGAN! Carlos needs you!

Logan: *sigh* I got it, I got it.

Me: *sigh* Just a day in the life of writing a Carlos sicky-fic. Speaking of, here we go!

* * *

><p>Logan quietly pushed open the door of Carlos' room. He set the now cleaned out trash bin next to his bed, and slipped back out. Logan glanced up at the clock on the wall. 4:37. He would need to check on Carlos at about 5. He sighed. <em>This should be interesting.<em> He thought to himself.

Carlos hated being sick. Simple as that. He hated that he had to stay in bed for days and wasn't allowed to get up and move around. He was Carlos Garcia, the kid never stopped moving. He also hated feeling horrible. When he was sick, his body felt achy and his mind was foggy, like he was submerged underwater and couldn't resurface.

One difference between Carlos and the other boy is that when they're sick, they don't want to be helped. Especially Kendall. Logan was stubborn at first, but then caves after a few hours. James was similar, not accepting help until about the second day. But Kendall would insist that he was fine and that he didn't need anybody's help the entire time he was ill.

But with Carlos, he wouldn't reject help. He'd deny being sick, mainly because of how much he hated it. However, as soon as he was convinced that he was sick, Carlos was ready for someone to help him, because he knew he couldn't handle it alone. Logan and Mrs. Knight were usually the ones who would take care of Carlos when he was sick. Logan wanted to be a doctor, so he thought of it as good practice, and Mrs. Knight was a loving mother, it's just instinct to take care of the boys.

James wanted to help, but he didn't really know how to help someone who's sick. And then you had Kendall. The member of the gang who could handle any and all situations. Except when somebody was sick. That's when he panicked. Now Kendall wasn't mysophobic or anything, he just didn't know how to handle it, and that upset him. He was the leader, the one in charge, and he hated that there was something standing between him and his friends. It killed him inside.

But he tried his best to step up to the plate when Carlos was sick. Carlos was the youngest, like the baby brother of the group, so naturally the guys were very protective of him, _especially_ when he wasn't feeling well. That's when they went into overprotective-mother-hen mode. But Carlos wasn't complaining. Seeing his friends helping him so much reminded him that he was possibly the luckiest 16 year old boy in the world. Even if he was puking his guts out.

* * *

><p>NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: I have absolutely no comment on this chapter. I despise it. A lot. But I had no idea what else to write. I'm sorry. Like really sorry. Usually I'm happy with the stuff I post on here, but this, just, urg. That's it, urg. -_- …Okay, maybe I was over exaggerating a little? Maybe? Well, at least I have some plans for the next chapter. It will be longer, don't worry. I don't like posting short chapters. So, let's hope that the next chapter is 37 times awesomer, kay? Kay. =)<p>

On an additional note, my dear friends, I'm sorry that my reviews have been nonexistent. Next time I'm home from school (whether it is a holiday or if I'm sick) I'm going through and review EVERYTHING. So someday, expect your inboxes to be full of my reviews. Kay? Kay. Thanks for understanding, lovies! You are all so fabulous! =) 'Til next time,

~LaurenNicole


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: Ni hao! Welcome to another installment of "I'm Not Sick"! *cues applause* Hopefully, I'll enjoy writing this chapter more than the last one. But apparently you guys liked it, so that's always fabulous! Now, I promise that this chapter will be 372 times better than the last one! Or at least I hope…So, let's get to it! Whoop whoop! PS- Are you ready for some Jarlos Bro-ship goodness? I know I am! *pumped face*

It was now seven o'clock and there was complete silence in apartment 2J. Katie had gone to her room to play Castle Smashers, Mrs. Knight went out to pick up dinner, and the guys, minus Carlos, were seated on the couch. Logan was reading, and James and Kendall were doing absolutely nothing, other than being bored out of their minds. Logan had forbidden video games because of how loud the boys always got when they played. The same went for dome hockey, and just about anything else that could be considered fun. Carlos needed to rest, therefore there needed to be silence. And it was driving Kendall and James crazy.

"Logan, this is so boring." James whined, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah." Kendall, who was hanging upside down on the couch, agreed. "Just let us play a video game. We won't be _that_ loud." He kicked his legs over and face planted on the floor. He stood up and brushed his shirt off.

"No way guys. Carlos needs to rest, and the quieter is, the better he'll rest, and he'll get better quicker." Logan explained, not looking up from his book.

"But this is sooo boring." James repeated.

"I don't care. If you're so bored, why don't you try reading a book or something _productive_ like that?" Logan suggested, holding out his own book for emphasis. Kendall raised his eyebrows.

"I think I'd rather just sit here." James buried his face in a pillow.

"Go for it." Logan smirked. He was about to say something else when he heard a door squeak open. The three teenagers turned to see Carlos shuffling into the living room. He was still in his clothes from earlier in the day, and his helmet was still strapped on, but it was sitting at a crooked angle. He had his comforter wrapped around his small shoulders.

"Carlos, what are you doing out of bed?" Logan asked, putting his book down.

"Uuuhhhhhnnn." The ill boy groaned, settling on the couch next to James.

"You okay buddy?" Kendall put a hand on Carlos knee. Carlos shook his head, and then broke out into a fit of coughing. James rubbed circles on the boys back until the coughing ceased.

"Kendall, can you get a glass of water please?" Logan requested, scooting closer to Carlos. Kendall stood up and walked into the kitchen. The Latino curled up and rested his head on James' chest. James pulled Carlos into his lap and gently rocked him back and forth. Logan felt his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Oh man, Carlos, you're burning up." Logan lowered his hand. "Kendall can you get the bottle of Tylenol too?"

Kendall, who had walked back into the living room, turned around and went back into the kitchen.

"Alright, Carlos, I need you to tell me what doesn't feel well." Logan instructed.

"My head and my tummy and my throat and under my eyes." Carlos answered, scrunching his face up in discomfort. Kendall returned with a bottle of liquid Tylenol and a glass of cool water. Logan poured a capful of the orange liquid as James helped Carlos up into a sitting position. Logan handed him the medicine. The sick Latino held the cap, but didn't make an attempt to drink it.

"Come on Litos. Just drink it." Kendall urged. Carlos just groaned in response.

"Dude, come on. You can't take pills, and if you don't take this, you won't get better any faster." James reasoned, bringing up the fact that Carlos couldn't take pills. He could never manage to swallow them, so even as a sixteen year old, he had to take children's liquid medicine when he was sick.

"I don't wanna." Carlos whined. He _hated_ the taste of medicine. Who cares if the packaging tells you that they have a 'delicious new bubblegum flavor' or 'a super great cherry taste'? To Carlos, they all had one thing in common- they tasted nasty! But James _did_ have a point. "Fine." He grumbled. Hesitating for a moment, Carlos brought the cap filled with the think, orange medicine to his lips. He took in a breath and tilted his head back, letting the liquid ooze over his tongue, coating his scratchy throat.

He made a face of disgust and quickly grabbed the glass of water from Kendall, downing the drink like his life depended on it. Once it was empty, he set the glass on the coffee table and retreated back into James' lap. He wrapped his arms around his stomach, which was a little unsettled from having drunk and entire glass of water in about two gulps.

"You okay?" James asked. Carlos just shrugged and yawned.

"I think you should go back to sleep." Kendall suggested. "You look pretty tired."

"Yeah, that's probably the best thing you can do right now." Logan confirmed. "First, though, do you want to try some toast again?" Carlos shook his head rapidly.

"No way. Toast is evil." He shuddered, burying his face in James' shoulder.

"Let's just get you back into bed." James cooed, gathering the sick boy in his arms and carrying him off to their room. Once they were out of sight, Kendall nudged Logan's arm.

"Look what you did," The blonde smirked. "Now he has a hatred of overcooked bread." He teased. Logan just stared at Kendall for a minute, before shaking his head and walking off to the kitchen to get a drink for himself.

_in James and Carlos' room…_

James laid Carlos down onto the Latino's bed, pulling the blue blankets up to his shoulder. He was about to go back to the living room, when he felt a tug at his hoodie sleeve.

"James, don't go." Carlos whined. "Please." James sighed.

"Alright." He sat down on the edge of Carlos' bed, not knowing what to do. He glanced at the sick boy, seeing that he was struggling to maintain consciousness. James felt so bad for his youngest friend. He was awful seeing him look so exhausted and he seemed to be getting sicker by the hour.

"Lay with me." Carlos mumbled tiredly. James complied, lying next to him. He wrapped his arm around Carlos' small frame as he let out a string of bone-rattling coughs. The tall brunette rubbed circles on his back when he finished, helping to lull him to sleep. James rested his cheek on the cool, smooth plastic helmet, falling asleep himself, listening to the sounds of Carlos' congested snores.

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: So, did anybody else LOVE the Jarlos-y-ness? I know I did ^_^ In fact, I happened to like this chapter a lot. I noticed, though, that my chapters all seem to be really short…Sad face. I shall remedy this situation…hopefully.

Oh! The part with Kendall talking about Carlos developing a hatred for overcooked bread, come courtesy of Rockport268. In her review for chapter 4, she said that she wondered if Carlos would develop a hatred of overcooked bread (AKA toast). And he did. Yay ^_^

Oh yeah, Happy New Year! May your 2012 be filled with peace, love, and all things fabulous! 'Til next time,

~Lauren Nicole


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: Yay, another update! I think I'm trying to get as much of this story written as I can, so I can start focusing on "Palmwoods Love" and "Cabin Living" a little more. I'm actually working on "Palmwoods Love" too, so expect to see that sometime soon. Yay! Oh, and just a warning, there shall be large quantities of Carlos-Comforting in this chapter. Just a warning. Here we go!

* * *

><p>"James, James. Dude, wake up." Kendall whispered, nudging James' shoulder. James' eyelids cracked open and he yawned, trying to roll over onto his back, but there was something preventing him from doing so. "Aw, don't you two look so cute." Kendall snickered playfully. It took James a minute to register what he meant. Then he realized what he was saying.<p>

Carlos was still asleep, and he was curled up next to James with the tall brunette's arm draped over him. And the sick boy was clinging to his arm for dear life. James sighed.

"Wanna help me out here?" He asked quietly, so he wouldn't disturb Carlos. Kendall laughed and grabbed Carlos' stuffed bunny off of the ground. He slid it under Carlos' arm as James slid his own arm out. Carlos gripped the bunny close to his chest and snored softly. James carefully got off of the bed and stood up, standing next to Kendall.

"What are we going to do with him?" The blonde asked, shaking his head. He had spoken James' thoughts. Regular, healthy Carlos was tough to handle sometimes. But taking care of sick Carlos was even worse. He got _very_ clingy and fussy, which he sometimes could be, even when he was healthy. But when he was sick, it was like that, to the seventh power. In other words, it was _rough_. But the guys were going to try to do their best to put up with it. It's Carlos, they didn't have much of a choice. It's just their instinct.

"I have no clue. All I know is that I have to go take a shower. Carlos is like, radiating heat, and I feel gross from sleeping so close to him." James rolled his shoulders and shuddered.

"Thanks for sharing." Kendall retorted. He turned away and walked out of the bedroom. James leaned down and put a hand on Carlos' forehead, and quickly pulled back, surprised at how hot to the touch it was. His fever had gotten a lot worse overnight.

James gathered together a shirt, jeans, underwear, socks, and an armful of Cuda cans and bottles. He left the room, and entered the kitchen, where Logan was sitting at the island reading a newspaper.

"Logan, Carlos' forehead is really hot." Logan looked up from his paper.

"Hotter than last night?"

"So hot, I'm afraid his helmet might melt." James answered. It sounded like a joke, but he was serious. Carlos' forehead was burning up big time.

"I'll go check on him. Is he still sleeping?" Logan asked as he walked into the kitchen. He opened the cabinet and pulled out the bottle of Tylenol. James nodded.

"Like a rock."

"That's good, at least he's getting rest." Logan filled a cup with water. "Who knows how much longer that'll last?" He added under his breath. James didn't hear the last part, and went on his way to the bathroom.

He turned on the water, got undressed, and stepped in. The warm water felt amazing on his stiff shoulders. It hadn't been very comfortable sleeping next to Carlos last night. They had been in a bed meant for one. Now Carlos has slept in James' bed with him before, when he had a nightmare or just wanted someone to hold him. But when he was sick, he tossed and turned quite a few times during the night. And it took a toll on James' shoulders and back. It felt great for him to be able to stand up straight and stretch out his tense muscles.

Forty five minutes later, James got out of the shower and dried himself off. He wrapped the green towel around his waist and wiped the steam off of the mirror. He got dressed in his dark skinny jeans and olive green t-shirt. James spent another ten minutes primping his hair with about seven different Cuda products until it was _just _right. Happy with how he looked, he threw his old clothes into the hamper, and went back into the kitchen in search of food.

When he walked in, he found Kendall sitting at the island with a bowl of Froot Loops.

"Hey." James greeted. Kendall nodded in reply, his mouth full of sugary cereal. James grabbed a bowl and spoon, poured himself some milk and cereal, and sat down next to his blonde friend. "Where's Logan?"

"Up with Carlos." Kendall answered.

"Still? He was heading up there before I got in the shower." James furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Well it is Carlos. He's probably using his puppy-dog eyes to try to keep Logan from giving him medicine." Kendall said sarcastically. James snorted a laugh,

"I wouldn't be surprised." He rolled his eyes. There was a short period of silence as both boys munched on their breakfast.

"I'm sorry, Logie!" Carlos' strained voice called through the apartment, followed by hacking coughing. Logan walked out of the boy's bedroom and into the kitchen with a slightly annoyed look on his face. He was in sock feet, and was carefully holding his pair of Vans out in front of him. There was something retched on them, that neither James nor Kendall even wanted to know what it was.

"Yeah, Carlos puked on my shoes." Logan said bluntly, seeing his friend's disgusted faces. He tossed the shoes into the bathtub, to be worked on when he got time. Shutting the bathroom door he, took the empty seat between James and Kendall at the island in let his head fall to the counter, landing with a thud.

"Uh, you alright there?" Kendall asked, cocking an eyebrow at his friend.

"Yeah, I'm just kinda peeved off about my shoes. And I basically had to force the Tylenol down Carlos' throat. He's acting like a defiant little kid. " Logan answered, not lifting his head.

"Why don't you get some coffee or something? James and I will handle Carlos for a little." Kendall volunteered.

"Yeah, you deserve a break." James added, nodding.

"You guys would really do that?" Logan asked, bringing his head up. Kendall and James nodded. "Okay. Thanks. If you need anything, ask me, alright?" They nodded again.

"Don't worry, we totally got this." James assured. He and Kendall stood up and walked to Carlos and James' room. When they walked in, Carlos had fallen back asleep. He was still clutching his bunny, and he looked content. But as Kendall and James got closer to him, they could see that he had traces of tears on his rosy cheeks.

"Aw, dude, he was crying." Kendall whispered, wiping the tears away with his thumb.

"He probably thought that Logan was mad at him for accidently hurling on his shoes." James pointed out in a hushed voice. Kendall nodded silently in agreement. Carlos' small body twitched a little, and his eyebrows furrowed in discomfort. Suddenly, he sat straight up in bed and started coughing like mad. One after another, he barely had a chance to take a breath in between. James and Kendall quickly sat on opposite sides of him, rubbing and patting his back, trying to get him to stop. After about thirty seconds the coughing ceased, and Carlos' breathing was rapid and shallow.

James rubbed the panicked boy's shoulders in an attempt to comfort him and calm him down. His breathing slowly returned to its normal pace. Carlos threw his arms around James' waist, burying his face in his shirt. He started sobbing and blubbering incoherently, his voice muffled by the soft fabric.

"Litos, come on buddy, sit up." Kendall gently coaxed. Carlos complied, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Okay, what's wrong?"

"I-I couldn't b-breathe. I w-was so-o scared." Carlos hiccupped. Kendall and James immediately wrapped their arms around him.

"It's okay, Carlos. You're alright now." James said, giving the ill boy a small, comforting squeeze. He wanted nothing more than to see his young friend well again. Because seeing him like this was complete torture.

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><p>NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: Ta-da! Whataya think? Worth the wait? I hope. Heh ^_^ So…I've got news! In four days, I'm gonna be fifteen! I'm so excited, one year closer to the guys' ages! Yay! And yesterday, my great grandma turned 97! Happy day after your birthday Grandmom! I love you! (insert heart here)<p>

Oh, and more news! I've decided that every new chapter/one-shot will have an author shout-out in it! So this one goes out to vikwhis11, because she was desperately awaiting this chapter and the whole time I was writing it, she was giving me motivation! I hope you liked it, Vic! And sorry for the wait ^_^

And now for two quick questions for ya'll! Vic and I were debating about this on Twitter (legit, we debated for _hours_) and now I want your opinions! What do you guys ship/want to see in season 3 of BTR- Jendall (Kendall/Jo) or Kency (Kendall/Lucy). And the other question is- What slash pairing do you ship? (If you ship that way.) Personally, I'm teams Jendall and Kogan. How about you? Please answer in your review! Thanks a bunch!

'Til next time,

~Lauren Nicole


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: Alright, I can explain! I'm so so sooo sorry I haven't updated this in over four months! I've had a MAJOR block and I was really fed up and stressed over school and life and everything was just so much and I didn't have a lot of time and, and, and I'm sorry! But I'm on Summer break now, and I have ideas and such! New chapters and one-shots, it's gonna be great! So I'm gonna start off with an update of this little beauty =')

AND WE'RE OFF!

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><p>"I'm gonna go get Logan." Kendall said as he hurried out of the room. James continued holding Carlos close to him, trying to give the small boy any comfort he could provide.<p>

"It's gonna be alright, Litos. I promise." He whispered.

X~X~X

"Logan!" Kendall ran to the kitchen, stumbling over his own feet in his hurry. Logan was seated at the island again, and he now had a mug of steaming coffee in his hands. He looked up, his face a mixture of confusion and worry.

"What is it?" He asked, concerned.

"Carlos is sick. Like really sick! He-he was coughing an-and he said that he couldn't breathe and…he's really scared, Logan. James and I are too." Kendall explained. He fiddled with the hem of his blue t-shirt anxiously. Logan stood up, his coffee now completely forgotten. He quickly walked to James and Carlos' bedroom, followed by Kendall, where he found the sick boy asleep in James' arms. James was running his fingers along Carlos' back and softly humming a lullaby.

Logan went over to the bed and kneeled down. He carefully undid the buckle on Carlos' helmet and set it on the ground beside him. Usually, such an action would have Carlos springing up and freaking out about his helmet being taken. But this time, he was much too tired to have any sort of reflex, which was concerning to all three of the other boys. Logan held his hand up to Carlos' forehead.

"He's still got a fever…" Logan was confused. "He just had some Tylenol not too long ago. It should be lower…" He trailed off.

James and Kendall glanced at each other nervously. Logan always knew what to do when it came to playing doctor. He always had the answer to ever little symptom any of the guys ever exhibited. But now, he was stumped. This never happened before. The two had no idea what was going to happen.

"I'm going to go get Mama Knight. We need to get Carlos to the doctors. Soon." Logan announced. He stood up and left the room. Kendall looked at Carlos.

"And we need to stay here with Carlos, in case he wakes up again." James nodded in agreement, wrapping his arms a little tighter around Carlos.

X~X~X

Logan went to the laundry room in hopes of finding Mrs. Knight. He sighed in relief when he spotted the redheaded woman standing over the washer loading it with clothes.

"Mrs. Knight?"

Jennifer looked up, "What is it sweetie?" She smiled.

"It's Carlos. He's getting worse. I think he needs to go to the doctors really soon." Mrs. Knight's smile dropped. She quickly threw the rest of the clothes in the washer and turned it on. Logan explained all of Carlos' symptoms as they walked to the sick boy's room. When the entered, they saw that Carlos was still asleep in James' arms. But his face didn't have its usual calm contentment, he seemed fitful and restless.

"Carlos, sweetie, wake up." Mrs. Knight said softly as she gently shook Carlos shoulder. The young boy's eyes cracked open and he yawned, causing a small coughing fit. James rubbed his back some more. It was starting to become a routine. "Carlos, honey, let me feel your forehead." The woman reached her hand out and felt Carlos' forehead. It was burning to the touch, and she pulled her hand back with a concerned frown on her face. "Oh, baby you're burning up. You should try taking some more Tylenol, I'm going to go call the doctor's office and see what they think." Mrs. Knight placed a comforting kiss on Carlos' forehead before walking out of the room to make the phone call.

Kendall picked up the bottle of Tylenol off of the nightstand beside Carlos' bed. The blonde poured a capful of the liquid and handed it to Carlos, who disdainfully took it and downed it. He shuddered and leaned back against James' chest, closing his eyes sleepily.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Knight came back into the bedroom. "Carlos," The boy opened his eyes. "You have a doctor's appointment in an hour. I think you need to go get yourself washed up, okay?" She gave a small smile.

"M'kay." Carlos murmured, not opening his eyes.

"Carlos," Mrs. Knight folded her arms. "Come on sweetie, I meant now."

James gathered Carlos in his arms and stood up. "Let's go, Litos." Carlos was too out of it to attempt to squirm out of James' grasp, so he allowed himself to be carried off to the bathroom. Mrs. Knight followed and turned the water on, filling the bathtub with warm water. She retrieved a bath towel and a washrag from the bathroom cabinet and placed them on the sink counter. James stood Carlos up in front of the bathtub. The tall brunette patted him on the shoulder and left. Mrs. Knight turned to Carlos.

"Not too long, okay sweetie? We have to leave in about forty-five minutes for your appointment." She instructed. "Try to aim for half an hour at the most, alright?" She ran her fingers through Carlos' hair. The sick boy nodded. Mrs. Knight left the bathroom, pulling the door shut.

Carlos stripped off his sweaty clothing, grabbed the washrag, and slid down into the warm bathwater. Almost immediately, he felt more relaxed. He slid down further until the water was up to his shoulders. He held the washrag in the water then scrubbed his face with it. Carlos smiled; the steam from the warm water cleared out his congested sinuses, and for the first time in the past few days, he didn't feel like he was dying. The bath cleaned him up and made him feel so much better. The water soothed his sleepy body and he slowly drifted off to sleep…

_half an hour later…_

"Carlos?" James knocked on the bathroom door. "Carlos, I have clothes for you to change into." There was no response. James pressed his ear against the door, expecting to hear water splashing from Carlos being in the tub. But there was nothing. The teenage heart throb grabbed the door knob and messed with it, only to find that it was unlocked. He opened the door and walked in. "Carlos?" His eyes cautiously fell on the bathtub, only to find the young Latino sound asleep. James sighed. The water was probably cold now, which wouldn't do anything to help Carlos and his sickness. James nudges Carlos' shoulder. "Wake up buddy. Come on, we have to get you to the doctors." Carlos' eyelids fluttered open and he looked up. After a second, his arms flailed.

"James? What are you doing in here?" He asked frantically. His voice was still groggy with sleep. James rolled his eyes.

"I came to give you your clothes," he held up the clothing he was holding. "And you were asleep. Now let's go, you have to go to the doctors." Carlos started to get out of the tub. "Whoa, whoa, dude, wait 'til I leave!" James placed the clothes on the sink counter next to Carlos' towel. He left the bathroom shaking his head. Once the door was shut again, Carlos got out of the bathtub and wrapped the fluffy blue towel around himself. He shivered, the bathwater had cooled down quite a bit, and it left him pretty chilly.

Carlos dried himself off and got dressed in the clothing James had brought him- grey sweatpants, a black t-shirt, his purple zip-up hoodie, and a pair of Vans. When he finished, he looked into the mirror above the sink. His face looked a little pale and he had purple bags under his eyes. The sick boy sighed; he couldn't wait until he was well again and back to his usual self. He scrubbed at his tired eyes.

Carlos shuffled out of the bathroom after dropping his dirty clothes and towel in the hamper. He found Mrs. Knight, Kendall, James, and Logan all waiting for him in the living room. When the boy emerged, everyone stood up.

"Good, you're ready. Let's get going sweetie." Mrs. Knight said. The group started walking towards the door to leave. But Carlos stayed standing in the kitchen.

"Carlos, let's go." Kendall urged.

"But I'm _thirsty._" Carlos whined. The guys sighed. Logan walked into the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets and pulled out Carlos' blue Sippy cup. He filled it with grape juice from the fridge and screwed the lid on. He pressed it into Carlos' hands, a little annoyed. It bothered him that Carlos, a sixteen year old, still drank from a Sippy cup just about every day, but now wasn't the time to make a big to-do over it.

"Are you ready now?" Logan asked. Carlos stuck the spout of the Sippy cup into his mouth and nodded, taking a drink of his juice. "Good. Now let's go." The group walked out of the apartment, through the lobby, and to the parking lot. They got into Mrs. Knight's minivan and drove off to the doctor's office.

_at the doctor's office…_

Carlos, James, Logan, and Kendall all sat in the waiting room while Mrs. Knight signed Carlos in. Logan skimmed through a magazine while Kendall and James played with some action figures that were in the waiting room (really meant for the little kids). Carlos sucked on his Sippy cup (which of course earned him some strange looks from the other patients in the waiting room) and leaned his head on Logan's shoulder. He was still pretty tired, and he just wished he was at home so he could take a nap. Mrs. Knight sat down next to Carlos and pulled a romance novel out of her purse. The waiting room was pretty quiet for a while. Then, the door to the offices opened and a middle-aged nurse holding a clipboard stepped through the doorway.

"Carlos Garcia?" Carlos sat up and looked at Mrs. Knight. The boy's guardian stood up and took his hand, leading him to where the nurse was standing. Kendall, James, and Logan stood up and followed. They wanted to be there when the doctor was examining their little brother. Carlos hated going to the doctor's, and they wanted to be there to support him. They knew he was going to need it…

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><p>NOTES FROM LAUREN NICOLE: DUN DUN DUN! Suspense! Ahahaha I'm so cruel ^_^ Don't worry, I'll start on the next chapter tomorrow while I'm at my grandparent's house. And I might get to work on 'Cabin Living' (the place where my grandparent's live (in the middle of the woods at a Boy Scout camp) is the place that inspired the whole story!) I'd like to apologize yet again for the amount of time this update took (particularly to vikwhis13 and Rockport268)…I promise the next chapter won't take nearly as long! In that chapter, we'll get the diagnosis, and some more Carlos babying! And more of his Sippy cup ^_^ Holy cheese wheel, that was so flippin' adorable in Bel-Air Rush! Carlos Garcia, just a boy and his Sippy cup. Much like vikwhis13, I shall include that precious little thing a whole lot more. Kay? Alrighty. Now I'd better go, before Vik kills me for taking so long…BYE! (insert heart here) 'Til next time,<p>

~Lauren Nicole


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